The young, charismatic protagonist of Assassin's Creed Unity has a strange relationship with me. On one hand, I don't like Arno's naivete and the fact that he blindly follows the woman he loves at the expense of being a dedicated Assassin but his performance and aura is incredible, and is probably the best in the series for any main character. So please enjoy my ranking of Arno Dorian.

-The Hooded Shadow

Remember when Assassin's Creed was one of the top of the line, needle moving, franchises that when a new game was announced, it took its place as one of the most hyped games of that particualr year? Well, Assassin's Creed doesn't feel like that anymore as they have released another huge title with a setting that was requested for a decade and nobody really talked about it in the general gaming discourse after a week or two. So, in this episode, I break down in many ways why the franchise has lost its shine and what it would take to reclaim its status as a a tent-pole franchise. Please enjoy!

- The Hooded Shadow

Can you believe it's been 10 years since Syndicate released!?! Anyway, the Victorian Era set entry has seen its fair share of praise and criticism over that span of time. I very much have a like/hate relationship with this game that constantly affects where I put it on my rankings list. So, lets revisit Syndicate one last time. Thanks for listening!

When we first saw the Crossover stories for Valhalla in late 2021, it sparked a passionate discourse on other characters appearing together. But this is not a new concept as we've seen ideas and fan fiction about this as far back as 2014. So, for the next entry in the "Unique Ideas" series, I thought I would add my two cents on other crossovers that I would like to see. Please enjoy!

- The Hooded Shadow

While they are not mainline titles, probably the most overlooked or maybe least known entries in the franchise are the games in the Chronicles series. Chronicles covers three different time periods and therefore, lets us experience three different but familiar characters and their stories. Personally, I really enjoy these games, and even though they're not considered "mainline" releases, I just wanted to talk about my time playing them. Please enjoy!

-The Hooded Shadow

One of the most interesting characters to wear the iconic hidden blade. He was born in Samarra, was picking pockets in Anbar, began his path to a Hidden One in Alamut, then ultimately laid his roots in Baghdad. Basim is such an intriguing character from the time we first met him in Valhalla and then get to experience his origin story in Mirage. He just misses my Top 5, but I love Basim to death in this game for many reasons. Please enjoy!

-The Hooded Shadow

A butterfly that flaps its wings can cause a tornado elsewhere. That is the definition of a "Butterfly Effect." Nothing else describes Unity better than this because it had arguably the biggest impact on the franchise by altering its trajectory after the culmination of its golden years. I remember the hype for the game, I remember being so incredibly blown away by its graphics and art design and thinking to myself, "This is really what next-gen is going to look like." Assassin's Creed should've been, from that moment on, at the forefront of that transition but a lack of proper management led to a massive letdown and came to a point of no return for the franchise. Please enjoy this episode as I recount Unity's launch, the aftermath, and what an alternate timeline could've looked like had Unity landed properly.

-The Hooded Shadow

In this "Revisited: Assassin's Creed" epsiode, I am discussing the rise, fall, and legacy of the game that affected the trajectory of the franchise forever. Unity despite being in my Tier 1 Rankings, is a game that has a lot of great ideas but is hindered by its flaws. Even though I love the player experience it gives of being a Brotherhood Assasin, a lack of execution of those great ideas did this game in. As a result of this outcome, the franchise has never been the same since. Please enjoy my revisiting of Assassin's Creed Unity.

-The Hooded Shadow

Aya definitely makes her prescence felt in Origins (in a good way). And while she's the other playable character in that respective game, she is one of the many reasons why Origins is among my favorite games in the franchise. Here is my ranking of Aya of Alexandria, later known as Amunet). Be sure to check out my rankings of each playable character and it will continue through the rest of the season, culminating in December. Thanks for listening!

-The Hooded Shadow

In this continuation of the "Unique Ideas" series, I discuss a way to improve on the design of the open world structure of these games. Being influenced by a particular peer of Assassin's Creed, designing a dynamic mission structure system could breathe a massive amount of fresh air into the "stale" RPG design of the current games. For context, this episode is just a fun idea that I had and I'm not at all a video game designer and have no idea how easy or difficult it would be to implement this into a future game. Thanks for tuning in and be on the lookout for more Unique Ideas episodes coming soon!

-The Hooded Shadow